Aaron Benson

Senior Human Factors Scientist

Aaron received his M.A. in Human Factors and Applied Cognition and B.S in Psychology from George Mason University. He has over 10 years of experience conducting traffic safety research in a broad range of topics, including emerging vehicle technologies, driver behavior, and vulnerable road users. He has extensively studied the safety and usability of automated vehicle technologies with a focus on learnability of systems and the safety implications of misuse. He employs a variety of research methods such as driving simulation, naturalistic driving, crash analysis, surveys, and focus groups to gain insights about safety and usability. He has researched impaired driving, distracted driving, hit and run crashes among many other topics and has been published in peer-reviewed journals, presented his research findings at conferences, to stakeholders and to the media. Aaron is skilled in the R statistical programming language, several driving simulator platforms, and graphics and simulation software for producing experimental stimuli and visualizations.

Featured Publications

• Benson, A., Tefft, B., Arnold, L., Horrey, W., (2021). Fatal hit-and-run crashes: Factors associated with leaving the scene, Journal of Safety Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.08.007
• Benson, A., But, J., Gasper, J., Carney, C., Horrey, W. (2021). Advanced vehicle technology: Mapping mental model accuracy and System Exposure to driver behavior [Paper Presentation]. HFES 2021, Baltimore, MD, United State
• Benson, A., Tefft, B.C., Svancara, A.M. & Horrey, W.J. (2018). Potential Reduction in Crashes, Injuries and Deaths from Large-Scale Deployment of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (Research Brief). Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
• Horrey, W., Benson, A., Guo, Z., Afifah, F., Hamann, C., Santiago, H. (2022). Understanding of advanced driver assistance systems: A comparison of drivers and other road users. TRB Annual Meeting 2022. Washington, DC